The state Department of Environmental Quality is not investigating health concerns of some Garyville residents as reported earlier this week in the L'Observateur newspaper, a DEQ spokesman* said Friday (Aug. 22.).

While the department did respond to a railcar fire in Garyville on Aug. 15, the department is not investigating health concerns, spokesman Greg Langley said.

According to that news article, DEQ officials were investigating concerns that abandoned rail cars in that community could pose health hazards.

DEQ officials inspected the site near Little Hope Street after getting complaints from residents. The rail cars belong to Canadian National Railroad and were in the process of being disposed of, according to the article.

Langley said a tanker car was moved to Garyville to be cut up and sent to a scrapyard. While workers were cutting apart the outer shell of the tanker, a layer of foam insulation caught fire. The State Police Hazmat unit responded and the fire was extinguished, Langley said.

The next day, Aug. 15, DEQ responders made a follow-up visit, he said.

"They found nothing wrong and closed the incident that day, Aug. 15," Langley said. "No abandoned rail car. No investigation by DEQ. Even if there was an investigation of health concerns, DEQ would not be the agency that would do it."